The importance of nonverbal communication and how to read it

The mechanism of human communication includes far more than just speech and writing. Since ancient times, people have resorted to alternative ways to express their thoughts or show their attitude towards something. Such non-verbal means of contact as gestures, facial expressions and pantomime can also serve as indicators of the interlocutor’s reaction or speak about his emotional state.

According to psychologists and science specialists who study human communication, more than half of the content of information exchange is transmitted non-verbally.

Means of nonverbal communication

The main means of such communication is the body, which is capable of transmitting information through facial expressions, gestures, pantomime, changing position in space and the mise-en-scène of communication.

Due to the diversity and richness of facial capabilities, our body is capable of transmitting a huge number of images, becoming a powerful tool for conveying the necessary information to people around us.

It’s very easy to check this: just try to watch a movie in a foreign language that you don’t speak, and you will be surprised to note that you understand, if not the very essence of the characters’ conversations, then the message, the emotions that they put into the conversation, and even main idea and plot.

This is due to the fact that, in conditions of semantic deficit arising from ignorance of the language, we subconsciously monitor facial expressions, micro-gestures more closely than usual, and read the plot and emotional components from the movements and tone of voice of the characters.

Pantomime

Facial expression is the movement of facial muscles, the main indicator of emotions. Studies have shown that when the interviewer's face is silent or invisible, up to 10-15% of information is lost. There are more than 20,000 descriptions of facial expressions in the literature. The main characteristic of facial expressions is their integrity and dynamism. This means that in the facial expressions of the six main emotional states (anger, joy, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust - see Appendix No. 1), all movements of the facial muscles are coordinated. The main information load in facial expressions is carried by eyebrows and lips.

Language

Saying that we speak one language, for example, Russian, we little think about the fact that we actually know two languages: not only language as a means of verbal communication, but also body language - a universal complex of postures and movements with the help of which Representatives of different nationalities, cultures and races can communicate.

Unlike dictionary language, to master which you need to study the alphabet, phonetics, grammar and other components, sign language is unique: using obvious mental images and concepts, we can establish communication with both Amazonian Indians and Eskimos.

Of course, this communication will be simple, at the level of basic concepts, but without the use of means of non-verbal communication, through the use of words alone, we will not achieve anything at all - our language will be incomprehensible to our interlocutors, while pointing a finger at a subject of interest is universal and will help establish initial contact .

Nonverbal component and its structure

Non-verbal communication

Nonverbal communication is a communication interaction between individuals without the use of words (transferring information or influencing each other through images, intonation, gestures, facial expressions, pantomime, changing the mise-en-scène of communication), that is, without speech and language means presented directly or in any way iconic form. Concept of nonverbal communication

The Origin of Nonverbal Communication

This problem involves both firmly established truths and questions that still have no answers. It has been established that nonverbal methods of communication have two types of source of origin:

· biological evolution;

· culture.

Functions of nonverbal code

Nonverbal means of communication are needed in order to:

1) regulate the flow of the communication process, create psychological contact between partners;

2) enrich the meanings conveyed by words, guide the interpretation of the verbal text;

3) express emotions and reflect the interpretation of the situation.

Nonverbal component and its structure

Levels of analysis of nonverbal communication

Rule 1

Pay attention to the effectiveness of your attempts, do not repeat unsuccessful steps and come up with new ways.

Indeed, communication is a two-way activity where you cannot be understood and heard if the other party does not want or cannot understand you. However, this is not a reason to abdicate responsibility for the result of communication , asserting “they don’t understand...”, “he doesn’t want to listen...”, etc.

Rule 2

If you want to convey any information, the effectiveness of communication becomes your responsibility.

Very often when communicating, for some reason we hear what we want to hear, and not what we are actually told. This applies to both you and the interlocutor. Therefore, there is a rule of three times repetition that is used when transmitting key information:

Rule 3

First, tell the other person exactly what you are going to say .

Then tell him what you were going to tell .

Then tell him what exactly you told him .

Rule 4

Effective communication is aimed at change and leads to action by all participants in the communication process!

Universal communication model

External communications system

External communications are the exchanges of information between an organization and its external environment. Any organization does not exist in isolation, but in interaction with its external environment. And the nature and methods of its communications depend on which factors of this environment (consumers, competitors, government regulators, public opinion, etc.) have the greatest influence on the organization’s work and its results.

The task of external communications comes down to transforming the desired strategic position into the behavior of the organization, its communication messages and symbols at the organizational, production and functional levels. Managers must clearly decide how they want to present the organization and its products, clearly identifying key public groups, and understand what the image of their organization is. Then they must develop a set of corporate image tools that can communicate it to the public, while vigilantly monitoring the formation and changes in the corporate image of competitors. An acceptable set of such means should include:

• definition of communication tasks;

• selection of target groups (clients and members of the public relevant to the organization);

• formulating an appropriate message(s);

• selection of funds and planning;

• organization (coordination) of actions.

The task of corporate communications is to reduce the gap between the desired and actual image of the company; creating a consistent, holistic portrait of it, developing and applying recommendations for coordinating all internal and external communications, as well as monitoring and managing communications. To achieve the company's goals among the external public, PR also includes marketing communications.

Corporate distinctiveness (individuality) is a strategically planned and tactically (at a practical level) applied self-presentation of the organization (corporate self) based on the desired image. A strong corporate identity contributes to:

• increasing employee motivation;

• creates a sense of confidence among representatives of key groups of the external public;

• recognizes the vital importance for the organization based on a good knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of both its own and other suppliers. Managers must decide where and how to compete. Now let’s move on to external communications related to strategic PR. Perhaps the most obvious activity is media relations to create publicity and positive interest in the company. And managers must win their respect, show an understanding of the essence of news, be constructive, meet journalists and producers halfway, and create trust in the company among the media. Typically, journalists expect:

• quick response to requests;

• open and honest policy towards the media;

• willingness to deal with negative news;

• availability of managers, and not of the press department and media in general;

• an object that is easily understood by others can be recognized, and with the help of which people describe, remember and form their attitude towards it. It is the result of the interaction of human beliefs, ideas, feelings and impressions about an object.

Impression management is the policy of presenting an organization to key groups to help them create a favorable image or prevent them from developing an unfavorable image.

Corporate reputation is what people think and say about an organization, its products/services, and the behavior of these people.

Strategic positioning is essentially the conscious choice of a specific basis for building competitive advantage. It is a combination of appeal to the customer or stakeholder and competitive considerations that can give a company or brand a distinct personality in the perception of those individuals. Thus, a company, as perceived by its target group, must be better than its competitors, regardless of what its members themselves consider important. The company must appear better than it actually is, and therefore must sell its products to the “right” customers, based on a good knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of both its and other suppliers. Managers must decide where and how to compete.

Perhaps the most obvious activity is media relations to create publicity and positive interest in the company. And managers must win their respect, show an understanding of the essence of news, be constructive, meet journalists and producers halfway, and create trust in the company among the media. Typically, journalists expect:

• quick response to requests;

• open and honest policy towards the media;

• willingness to deal with negative news;

• availability of managers, and not of the press department and media in general;

• information that is easy to understand and use (not overloaded with unnecessary technical or other details);

• proactive policy of maintaining contacts (regular, consistent, personal).

Key topics for media communications include marketing news, company policy coverage, news of general interest, personalities, and current events. Messages should be intended primarily for articles on specific specific topics, and not simply for self-promotion of the company.

Publicity is the dissemination of deliberately pre-planned and high-level messages through selected (unpaid) media with the aim of arousing public interest in an organization or individual.

Press relations activities are significantly different from advertising and sales activities in that they are aimed at gaining publicity or satisfying public interest in an organization and/or its product(s). Propaganda, on the other hand, is an attempt to influence public opinion to spread a particular desired belief.

Financial relations are aimed at creating relationships of support and management of communications with shareholders (both actual and potential) during the financial year, as well as with investors, representatives of the business community (in particular, analysts, stock market brokers, trading banks) and financial journalists magazines.

Public event preparation may involve strategic communications planning and deal at the corporate level with a variety of audiences—government and business representatives, the press, community organizations, shareholders and trade unions, and the general public.

Lobbying (government activities) occurs and operates among legislators and government agencies in the specific interests of the organization at the local, national and international levels. In fact, to actually present any issue that needs lobbying to ensure that legislators are constantly under strong pressure requires extensive research, even reconnaissance. This is a more complex process than simple monitoring of parliamentary activities. The purpose of lobbying is to influence government circles and the legislative branch and thereby push through decisions beneficial to the organization that can seriously affect the present and future efficiency of its activities.

Industry relations include communications with various organizations within the same industry in which the company operates, for example, trade associations, research (expert) agencies.

Corporate advertising views the company as a product and is the "face and voice of the company." Managers often have little understanding of corporate advertising and are wary of this high-tech public communications technology that does not directly increase sales or market share and is therefore often difficult to justify. Research has shown that, although expensive, corporate advertising can enhance a company's image.

Corporate social responsibility is by far the top item on any PR manager’s agenda. In the field of corporate social responsibility, the key concept for managers is the concept of beneficiaries as individuals or groups with legally established property rights (or participation). They interact with the company in some of its activities. Their participation is necessary if the company strives for success and prosperity. Beneficiary relationship management can be viewed as an investment and as one of the core areas of business planning and management.

Sponsorship - a company acquires the exclusive right to an event or sporting competition or lends its name to a product for the purpose of promoting itself through media coverage and/or instilling in the minds of citizens a positive association of its name with an interesting or significant event. By supporting any event or activity, company managers can expect to receive a material return on the funds and efforts expended - for example, in the form of the notional value of business connections, i.e. the price of accumulated business connections, intangible assets of the company, say, the prestige of a brand, the experience of business connections, the acquisition of the ability to influence clients, the creation of a high reputation for the organization, its product or trademark.

Information services are an essential part of the process of creating mutual trust and understanding between a company and other public groups. The PR department should take the lead in coordinating the delivery of information to the media about the company's activities, and this often requires accompanying explanatory material that would help the public learn more about the company and its scope of activities.

Advice and consultation is also one of the most important activities of PR teams in many companies. PR professionals are increasingly being called upon to provide advice and guidance on organizational management and policy issues. Communications management is taken more seriously and is increasingly recognized as an important competency in business; PR specialists are increasingly called upon to advise managers on issues of communication with the “outside world”, as well as to provide the technical side of the relevant PR communications chosen by the specialist.

Crisis management looks at the future in terms of anticipating and preparing for likely events that could disrupt important relationships in the organization. Here, the responsibilities of a PR specialist can extend to a wide range of activities, including contingency planning, limiting damage, taking into account the lessons of previous crisis situations, streamlining and managing managers' ideas about the crisis and their attitude towards them, up to managing the crisis itself.

Problem management is the systematic identification of possible problems that cause concern to a company and actions aimed at adjusting its policies when they arise. Problem management differs from crisis management only in terms of time frames and a sense of panic. Managers must learn to view problems from the perspectives of different public groups. PR in its activities must foresee the possibility of these problems arising and be able to manage the organization’s response to them.

Developing and writing printed materials is also one of the responsibilities of the PR department for external communications. This is special literature on PR, brochures and booklets published by the company (an annual report and the history of the company, as well as a story about the main products of the company). There is an increasing need for the preparation of audio and video materials. Much of this work is planned as promotional work and therefore requires close collaboration between marketing and PR professionals to ensure consistency in creating and maintaining a corporate identity. Analyze the organization's communication needs and reach of all its key public groups. Planning is an essential part of the PR manager's role.

Business meeting

To navigate the complex negotiation process, you should clearly understand its structure and main stages. Any negotiations include:

— preparation for negotiations;

— direct negotiations;

— analysis of results;

— fulfillment of agreements.

Preparing for negotiations. Negotiations begin long before the parties sit down at the table. In fact, they begin from the moment when one of the parties initiates negotiations, and the parties begin preparing them. Negotiators must be prepared morally, professionally and psychologically for successful work within the negotiation process.

Preparation for negotiations will be more effective with careful planning of activities, the implementation of which should ensure the success of the negotiation process. Planning negotiations means making a list of proposed activities, the implementation of which should ensure the success of the negotiation process. Establishing a working relationship with a partner is of no small importance at the preparatory stage. Preparing for negotiations involves forming an understanding of the other side.

Stages and strategy of the negotiation process. Features of negotiations are considered from the perspective of stages, strategies and tactics of conducting business negotiations. P. Micic proposed a three-stage structure of the negotiation process:

— mutual clarification of interests, points of view, concepts of participants;

— discussing points of view, putting forward arguments confirming these beliefs;

— coordination of positions and development of agreements.

Negotiation strategy

– this is the most general long-term planning of the course of negotiations, focused on achieving the goal of the negotiations.
Tactics
are a set of techniques and methods that determine the way to implement a planned strategy. Tactics are determined by the chosen strategy and the conditions specific at the time of negotiations.

Strategy in itself is neither a separate negotiation technique nor a combination of them. Strategy is implemented in tactics.

Negotiation practice shows that there is not and cannot be a single strategy for conducting negotiations for all occasions. Each specific negotiation process requires the choice of a specific strategy that meets specific conditions. We can distinguish the main or basic negotiation strategies that are implemented in negotiations within the framework of cooperation and in negotiations within the framework of confrontation.

Constructive and tactical techniques:

1. Acceptance of the partner’s first offer.

2. Gradual increase in the complexity of the issues discussed.

3. Dividing a problem into separate components means refusing to try to immediately solve the entire problem.

In conditions of cooperation and confrontation, the following techniques can be used:

1. Packaging – several issues are proposed for consideration in the form of a “package”, i.e. It is not individual issues that are subject to discussion, but their complex.

2. “Leaving” is associated with closing a position and is used when issues are raised that are undesirable for discussion.

3. A return to the discussion can be in approximately two cases: (1) to avoid accepting an agreement and (2) if for one of the participants some issues really remain unclear and he does not want to discuss them.

4. Direct opening of positions.

5. Clarifying the positions of partners often reveals the positions of the participant, since this also partially reveals one’s own position: from the questions that are asked, one can determine what exactly interests the person asking them.

Destructive tactics:

1. “Placing false accents in one’s own position” is to demonstrate, for example, extreme interest in resolving an issue, although in fact this issue is of secondary importance.

2. “Silence” is used to close a position and consists of creating uncertainty at the first stage of negotiations.

3. “Bluff” - giving deliberately false information.

4. “Refusal of own demands” - one of the parties puts forward a proposal that it considers unacceptable for the partner.

5. “Extortion” is when one of the parties puts forward a demand that is undesirable for the other party and indifferent to itself. The goal is to obtain a concession in exchange for the demand being dropped.

6. “Increasing demands” - used as a response to the fact that the partner agrees with the demands being made.

7. “Issuing an ultimatum” means a demand to accept an inconvenient, unprofitable offer under the pretext of leaving the negotiations or disrupting the negotiations.

8. "Surprise" The main thing about this technique is its surprise.

9. “Double interpretation” - applied at the stage of concluding an agreement.

10. “Making demands at the last minute” - used at the very end of negotiations, when all issues have been resolved and the agreement remains to be signed.

Throughout the negotiations, tactics of psychological pressure on negotiating partners can be used. This tactic allows you to create a situation where only one side will be forced to make significant concessions.

Completion of negotiations, analysis and evaluation of results

Completion of negotiations refers to any end of negotiations, and not just the successful achievement of goals and conclusion of agreements.

By concluding negotiations, unless they are interrupted, the parties make decisions. During negotiations, compromise decisions can be made when the parties make mutual concessions. This is a typical solution in negotiations. However, more often we encounter situations where the criteria are unclear or the parties cannot find that “middle ground” in relation to which they can move, yielding to each other. In such cases, it is necessary to look for a field of interest.

When the statuses, possibilities of power and control, as well as the interests of the parties do not allow them to find a “middle” solution, then the parties can come to an asymmetric solution. Then the concessions of one side significantly exceed the concessions of the other.

The result of negotiations can be assessed in terms of compliance or non-compliance with the goal set before the negotiations. Results are (1) successful when they most closely correspond to the stated goal; (2) unsuccessful if they do not meet the stated goal; (3) combined when they more or less correspond to the stated goal of each of the parties.

Negotiations come to an end at the moment when both parties come to agreement on a sufficient number of points and can already discuss ways to implement the agreements reached.

When analyzing the results of negotiations, it is necessary to once again analyze the entire course of this process. Some time after the contract is signed, you should carefully consider the entire negotiation process and try to understand what was done well and what was done poorly. Try again to calculate all the consequences of the chosen options, replay in your imagination the various possibilities that could be taken advantage of.

Avoid jargon and slashes.

Many professions have their own specialized terminology. Jargon can help express a thought in the shortest possible way. However, you should avoid jargon and technical terms unless you are sure others will understand them. Otherwise, people may misunderstand you or feel out of place. Using slang can have the same effect as jargon. Because of slang, people will not be able to carry on a conversation and will feel belittled.

Channels of perception

function getStyleObject(objectId) { // checkW3C DOM, then MSIE 4, then NN 4. // if(document.getElementById) { if (document.getElementById(objectId)) { return document.getElementById(objectId).style; } } else if (document.all) { if (document.all(objectId)) { return document.all(objectId).style; } } else if (document.layers) { if (document.layers[objectId]) { return document.layers[objectId]; } } else { return false; } } function toggleObjectVisibility(objectId) { // first get the object's stylesheet var styleObject = getStyleObject(objectId); // then if we find a stylesheet, set its visibility // as requested // if (styleObject) { if (styleObject.display == 'none') { styleObject.display = 'block'; } else { styleObject.display = 'none'; } return true; } else { return false; } } Each person perceives the world around him with the help of energy channels of perception. Representatives of different nations have different channels, both in quality and quantity. All channels of world perception work simultaneously and provide a person with all the information he needs. For example, black peoples have 6 channels of perception, red peoples have 9, gray peoples have 10, yellow peoples have 12 channels (duodenal system of perception), white people have 16 (hexadecimal system of perception) [1] This system of perception of a white person can be structurally represented as follows:

The White Man's Structural System of Perception.

· 1,2,3,4 - channels are responsible for the perception of the four-dimensional world, that is, length, width, depth, and also time. These channels always work. The rest of the majority of white people do not function or are filled with other unnecessary information.

· 5 — channel of Soul perception. Now for many people it is blocked “or” busy with politics.

· 6 – channel of Spiritual perception. It is blocked either by atheism or clogged with religious teachings alien to the Slav.

· 7 – channel of multidimensionality of Ancestral Memory. It is contaminated with so-called “universal human values”, the sources of which are the media (television, radio, press, Internet).

· 8 - channel of Harmony with Nature - this is a channel of self-regulation and self-healing of the human body. In modern man, he is occupied with materialistic medicine, which considers a person only as a physical body, that is, a set of physical components.

The first four channels work for people from birth, and the Slavs tried to turn on channels 5,6,7,8 for children under 12 years old, so that later, relative to them, the rest would open. The functioning of all channels of perception allowed the white man to fully see all the beauty of the world around him, as well as everything that other peoples, with fewer channels, could not perceive.

In order to perceive the world as the Ancestors perceived it, modern man needs to include all channels of perception in his work, and for this he must clear the initially working channels of unnecessary information. When the first 8 channels work correctly, the rest automatically begin to function.

Active Listening Techniques

The goal is to obtain the most complete and accurate information to make the right decision. Among the main techniques used in active listening are the following:

· encouraging the interlocutor (“Yes, yes”, “Very interesting”, “I’m listening to you”, etc.);

· clarification (“What do you mean when you talk about...?”, “What does... mean?”, etc.);

· verbatim or almost verbatim repetition of the interlocutor’s words (“If I understand you correctly, you are suggesting...”, “That is, you think that...”);

· expression of empathy, understanding of the interlocutor’s feelings (“I understand your condition,” “Your indignation can be understood”);

· putting forward hypotheses and summing up, allowing you to clarify how correctly the interlocutor’s words were understood (“Thus, we can conclude that...”, “You want to say that...”, “So, to summarize...”, etc.) d.).

18.

19.

A communication network is a system of physical communication channels and switching equipment that implements one or another low-level data transfer protocol. There are wired, wireless (using radio waves) and fiber-optic communication channels. Based on the type of signal transmitted, digital and analog networks are distinguished. The purpose of communication networks is to transmit data with a minimum number of errors and distortions. An information network can be built on the basis of a communication network; for example, TCP/IP networks are usually built on the basis of Ethernet networks, which in turn form the global Internet. Examples of communication networks are:

· computer networks,

· telephone networks,

· cellular networks,

· cable television networks.

It is unlikely that there is at least one civilized person who can imagine his life without a telephone. Undoubtedly, the telephone is an indispensable means of communication, but some people allow themselves to mindlessly chat for hours, while others earn huge amounts of money using the telephone.

In business, the telephone serves as the second most important selling tool in addition to your main selling tool: your tongue. However, it would be a big mistake to think that communicating with the buyer by phone is enough for a successful sale. Always seek a personal meeting with the client. Only then can you achieve maximum efficiency from your sales.

True, there are points that significantly complicate telephone conversations: time limits and limited possibilities for perceiving information only through the auditory canal.

In this regard, there are certain requirements that must be met when making a telephone conversation.

Extreme brevity.

Greatest structure and clarity.

Maximum imagery and clarity.

Fulfillment of these conditions will ensure better assimilation of information by the interlocutor, and therefore increase the efficiency of telephone conversations.

Telephone slips

When conducting telephone conversations, try to avoid common mistakes.

There is no clear purpose for the conversation. This poses a problem. If the purpose of the call is not clear to you, then how are you going to convey it to the other person?

Improvisation during a conversation. There is no necessary awareness. The necessary materials have not been processed. In this case, you may waste time without achieving any results.

Calling at an unfavorable time. You simply won’t catch your interlocutor on the spot, or he won’t have the opportunity to listen to you.

Long searches for a client number, defects in work organization. If you are not serious about recording information, the whole business will suffer.

The line of conversation is not thought out in advance. Key words are not written down, questions to be asked to the interlocutor are not prepared - all this leads to chaos and scatteredness of your speech during the conversation.

At the beginning of the conversation, the purpose of the call is not explained to the interlocutor. The result of this may be a lack of due attention on the part of the interlocutor or even irritation.

The dominance of monologue in the conversation. The inability to ask the right questions and listen to your partner negatively affects the flow of the conversation. If you have learned to speak well and a lot, listening only to yourself, then all your efforts are worthless. And one more note. Listening does not mean hearing.

There is no record of information received during the conversation. Losing information means losing money.

The conversation is not summarized. The agreements are of a non-specific nature. If you do not know how to clearly pursue your line and achieve the desired results from your partner, then you will not be given due respect and you are unlikely to be able to count on equal cooperation.

Inability to end a conversation on time. Fear of offending your partner during a protracted conversation, softness and lack of the necessary decisiveness can lead to the fact that the client simply begins to manipulate you.

21. Information (from Latin informatio

-
formation
as the identification of one’s essence,
clarification
,
presentation
,
awareness
) - significant information about something, when the form of their presentation is also information, that is, it has a formatting function in accordance with its own nature.

22. In modern science, two types of information are considered:

Objective ( primary

) information is the property of material objects and phenomena (processes) to generate a variety of states, which through interactions (fundamental interactions) are transmitted to other objects and imprinted in their structure.

· Subjective ( semantic, semantic, secondary

) information – the semantic content of objective information about objects and processes of the material world, formed by the human consciousness with the help of semantic images (words, images and sensations) and recorded on any material medium.

In the everyday sense, information is information about the surrounding world and the processes occurring in it, perceived by a person or a special device.

From the point of view of computer science, information has a number of fundamental properties: novelty, relevance, reliability, objectivity, completeness, value, etc.

The science of logic deals primarily with the analysis of logic.

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Nonverbal signals as the only means of communication

The importance of non-verbal communication cannot be overestimated - it remains the only means of exchanging information in cases where:

• people do not know each other's language even at a basic level;
• people do not have the physical ability to make sounds.

If in the first case it is subsequently possible to establish a higher level of communication through the gradual study of each other’s languages, then in the second, various types of non-verbal communication come to the fore and become the only possible means of contact.

For people with speech disabilities and hearing loss, sign language is the only language they can use, and their fingers become their vocal cords and their gestures become their words.

In situations where people who are physically capable of producing sounds find themselves in an environment that does not allow them to pronounce these sounds, it is the tools of nonverbal communication that come to the fore. These signals are used in scuba diving (dive signals), in noisy rooms (rolling shops, engine rooms), while hunting, and when participating in hostilities (ambushes).

Introduction

Body language is a language that almost everyone understands. Usually this happens completely unconsciously, without thinking. Body language is a signal that is transmitted from one person to another, which is why scientists also call this communication “non-verbal communication.” During intimate contact, a glance and touch are more expressive and provide more complete information than many words.

The language of body movements was very important already in Ancient Greece. For example, great importance was attached to posture. A man must hold his head high, otherwise he may be mistaken for a homosexual. Women and children, on the other hand, should not look the other person directly in the eyes. The casual look showed shyness, modesty and submissiveness.

In the XVII-XVIII centuries. In Western countries, books of the century were published on the rules of good sound. For example, in 1735, S. Van Par's book “The Great Ceremonial Book of Good Manners” was published, containing 500 pages.

The first book entirely devoted to gestures was the work of D. Balver “Chirology: either the natural language of the hand and chironomy, or the art of rhetoric of the hands.” And Francis Bacon even proposed creating a science of gestures. In the late 19th century, gestures were studied by anthropologists and psychologists.

In 1939, a three-volume monograph by I.A. appeared in Russia. Sobolevsky, in which the author presented his view on nonverbal communication.

Research into the meaning of human body language continues, as evidenced by international conferences and scientific reports, for example, the collection “Gestures and Moods from Antiquity to the Present,” published in England.

The history of the emergence of nonverbal means of communication

Nonverbal behavior as a set of gestural and figurative expressions through the body arose at the dawn of humanity, when language as a means of communication had not yet been invented, and communication between individual representatives of the tribe was carried out precisely through nonverbal behavior.

It was possible to convey information through primitive gestures, and non-verbal means of communication coped with the task that ancient people needed to solve perfectly. They pointed to prey and fellow tribesmen with their hands, depicted simple phenomena - rain, thunderstorms, mimicked anger, threatened, grinning and baring their teeth.

An excellent example of primitive nonverbal behavior is the communication of dogs. Dogs almost never bark when meeting - they communicate by changing their gait, posture, level of tail movement, grinning or lowering their ears, and the information they receive is enough for them to correctly assess the situation and the status of their interlocutor.

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Conscious and unconscious use of body signals

Nonverbal means of communication can be divided into two types based on the consciousness of use:

• nonverbal communication that we use consciously is those facial and gestural means that we use deliberately, that is, the tools we use to clearly convey specific information to the addressee;
• involuntary nonverbal behavior is those postures, gestures and changes in body position, as well as microgestures that we use unconsciously, uncontrollably. A specialist who knows how to read the signs of involuntary nonverbal behavior can tell more than the words we say.

Consciously used such means of communication provide a large layer of gestural, plastic and facial capabilities. Actors most clearly demonstrate this type of non-verbal communication tools: when playing a role, they use gestures and facial expressions to bring the image to perfection and give credibility to the game. The tools of good actors are very rich; they are able to remember and apply hundreds of different small poses, glances, turns of the head, which add variability to the words they use for the role.

Microexpressions and involuntary nonverbal cues

Involuntary nonverbal behavior is those contractions of the muscles of the body and face that a person is unable to control.

Consciously telling a lie, trying to hide feelings, a person is nevertheless unable to control the so-called micro-expressions flashing on the face. These are tools of non-verbal behavior that help a specialist psychologist or simply a very observant interlocutor to recognize deception, an attempt to hide information or emotions, since it is impossible to consciously keep muscles from contracting such muscles.

Representatives of certain professions, for which the ability to recognize deception is very important, are taught this ability, or they look for people who are initially predisposed to reading microexpressions. Thus, the ability to detect a lie is extremely important for customs officials, security services, and investigators.

To correctly recognize facial microexpressions, it is important to remember that facial expressions do not express the subject’s thoughts, but feelings, and if disgust flashes on the face for a moment, this does not mean that it is caused by the subject of the conversation - perhaps the person simply has an unpleasant association.

Consciously reading nonverbal cues

Like the use of nonverbal behavior, the ability to correctly read and recognize nonverbal signals given by an interlocutor can be conscious and unconscious.

Conscious reading of nonverbal behavior allows us, by observing the interlocutor, to understand by his facial expression, posture, gait, and even the turn of his shoulders, what feelings he is experiencing and what shade his speech has.

For example, the phrase: “I hate you!” written on paper cannot be read unambiguously without a description of the facial expressions of the speaker. In life, the nonverbal behavior of the speaker will say a lot about the subtext:

• if it is pronounced expressively, with frowning eyebrows, pursed lips and lowered corners, with tense fists, the interlocutor will understand the message - he is really hated, since the whole posture and face of the speaker expresses anger;
• pronounced in a cheerful tone, supported by a smile and a casual wave of the hand with a relaxed body, the same phrase becomes a playful, friendly joke.

It is at such moments that non-verbal means of communication are indispensable; it is not for nothing that authors of fiction often use the epithets “muttered”, “shouted out”, “hissed” instead of the dry “said”, giving faceless words an obvious emotional connotation.

Expressions of feelings and emotions through nonverbal signals

Gestures, facial expressions, pantomimes (as means of communication) are optical-kinetic types of information exchange. In them, distance, body movements, intonation and appearance matter. According to psychological research, women express their feelings more accurately and are better at understanding the feelings of others.

People employed in communication-related professions such as teaching, psychology, and acting have similar accurate perceptions.

Among the common characteristics of various human emotions and feelings, the following combinations of nonverbal signs can be distinguished:

• A dreaming person raises the inner ends of his eyebrows high and looks up. The corners of his mouth may be located asymmetrically.
• Embarrassment can be identified by downcast eyes and a closed smile with one side of the mouth and the inner ends of the eyebrows raised.
• Strong hidden tension is expressed in tightly clasped fingers and clenched hands. The level of tension is proportional to the force of squeezing the fingers and hands. Other symptoms include nervous rubbing of fingers and hands together, high hand mobility, handling paper clips, and rotating writing objects. A person experiencing mental stress may look towards the window or door, unconsciously expressing a desire to leave the room, suddenly get up and walk around the room.
• Signs similar to indicators of tension are shown by people in an aggressive state, but indicators of aggression have their own specifics. Gestures become more expressive, a person can point with a finger, slam doors and clench his fists.
• Irritability, nervousness and uncertainty are manifested by frequent yawning, coughing similar to clearing the throat, fidgeting in the chair, frequently looking away from the interlocutor, shaking keys or coins in the pocket.
• A person having insidious thoughts looks with squinting eyes. The outer ends of his eyebrows are raised, and his lips are tightly compressed and form a semblance of a smile.
• The desire for contact and interaction can be indicated by sitting on the front edge of the seat, leaning the torso forward, an unbuttoned jacket, friendly intonations and gestures next to the speaker’s face. If the person is open, his arms are slightly extended forward, to the sides and perform circular movements, and his palms are visible.
• Stealth or a desire to hide something can be indicated by mechanically closing the mouth with one or two hands, rubbing the chin or temples with fingers, averting the eyes and tilting the body away from the interlocutor.
• In addition to the described signs of confidence, it can be characterized by leisurely walking back and forth and folding the arms in front of oneself in a dome in a sitting position, when the fingers are joined on top and the palms remain at a distance. This gesture can also be interpreted as an intention to conduct a dialogue, but from a position of dominance. The greater the confidence of the person folding his hands in this way, the higher this “dome” is located.
• Determination is manifested in tightly clenched jaws, a frowning glance and a sharp constriction of the pupils.
• Closedness and the desire to distance oneself is characterized by the castle pose. It consists of arms crossed on the chest with clenched fists and legs thrown one on top of the other. The need for distance can be manifested by tilting the torso back from the interlocutor when sitting.
• Pursed lips, averted gaze, and low-lowered eyelids and eyebrows can indicate resentment.
• Self-control may be expressed differently in men and women. Seated men grip the armrests if available, their ankles are crossed and their legs are slightly extended forward. When speaking from the podium, self-control and confidence are demonstrated by having your hands pointing forward and firmly holding the sides of the podium. The most common expression of self-control in women is to place their thumb behind a belt or skirt.
• A person with cunning thoughts averts his eyes to the side, lifting one of the corners of his mouth.

Thanks to gestures, facial expressions and intonations, you can significantly diversify communication and give your words an appropriate emotional coloring, making them easier to understand by your interlocutor.

Nonverbal means of communication can change the meaning and strength of the effect of speech, due to which they are of increased interest among politicians, media workers, businessmen and careerists. Pantomime and other means of assessing a person’s state, intentions and influence on him are in demand in psychology and the work of law enforcement agencies.

Some interpretations of various nonverbal indicators may be either coincidence or the result of factors irrelevant to the situation. Judicious use of non-verbal information exchange means can serve to entertain and enrich human relationships.

Unconscious reading of nonverbal cues

Just as the body gives away our lies by broadcasting involuntary nonverbal signals in the form of momentary microexpressions and gestures, our subconscious mind is able to read these types of nonverbal communication.

For example, you are communicating with an interlocutor who seems to be saying something pleasant, positive, making promises and convincing of his loyalty, but something inside you is itching: “He is lying, fawning, trying to hide information, he cannot be trusted!” . Some call it intuition, others call it a premonition, but from the point of view of the science of nonverbal communication, this is nothing more than the unconscious reading of the microexpressions of the interlocutor, comparing them with words and subconsciously assessing the correspondence. When a discrepancy is found between verbal and nonverbal signals, the brain tries to tell you in every available way: the person is hiding something, the gestures do not correspond to the words, you need to be on your guard!

Unconscious nonverbal behavior cannot be controlled, and specialists who can read such microexpressions learn to turn unconscious recognition of nonverbal communication gestures into conscious awareness through extensive training.

Basic characteristics of nonverbal signals

Various parts of the body are used as tools to use and read such signals, but posture, gait, and plasticity are also important.

The nonverbal behavior of an open, self-confident subject is characterized by the following features:

• straight back, shoulders turned, good posture, free gait;
• raised head, confident look directly at the interlocutor;
• “open” gestures - relaxed arms, not closed on the chest or in a “lock”, legs not crossed;
• absence of fussy small gestures, attempts to cover your mouth or nose with your palm.

Nonverbal means of communication that demonstrate that a person is trying to hide something:

• drooping chin, tense shoulders, slight hunching;
• a gaze constantly moving from the interlocutor’s face to the floor or running over objects behind his back;
• “closed” gestures - arms crossed on the chest, a “leg to leg” pose, involuntary touching of the nose and lips with fingers, hands “housed” at chin level.

Such signs of nonverbal communication allow you to assess the degree of frankness of the interlocutor, help you take a sober approach to what he says, and decide whether to trust the person.

Touch and Setting Characteristics

The role of contact in nonverbal communication. Here handshakes, kisses, caresses, strokes, blows, blows, etc. stand out. The use of contact in communication is determined by many factors: the status of the partners, their age, gender, degree of acquaintance.

Inappropriate use of a person's sense of touch can lead to communication conflicts. For example, patting on the back is possible only if the relationship is close and the social situation in society is the same.

During communication, it is also important to pay attention to voice characteristics associated with nonverbal communication: tone, volume of the voice, its timbre, its involvement in pauses in speech and various non-morphological human phenomena: crying, coughing, laughter, sighs, etc.

It is necessary not only to be able to listen, but also to hear the intonation system of speech, to appreciate the strength and tone of the voice, the speed of speech, which practically allows you to express your feelings and thoughts.

Voting contains a lot of information about the owner. An experienced voice expert can determine the age, place of residence, health, character and temperament of its owner.

Since the characteristics of the voice depend on the functioning of various organs of the body, it also reflects their condition. Emotions change the rhythm of breathing. Fear, for example, paralyzes the larynx, the vocal cords become tense, and the voice “sits down.” When the mind is well disposed, the voice becomes deeper and richer in shades. It has a calming effect on others and instills more confidence.

Business conversation

Nonverbal means of communication in negotiations and at work are of great importance: despite the formal unspoken ban on an overly expressed emotional component in business communication, a successful salesperson is able to either fail a product presentation or save it with the help of properly constructed nonverbal communication with listeners.

If a specialist presenting a product or technology presents it, monotonously reciting the text, without using a change in intonation, without supplementing the words with gestures, facial expressions, if he slouches and nervously rubs his hands, the listeners unconsciously read all these signs of uncertainty and are imbued with distrust of the product through distrust of the person presenting it to a person.

If the presentation is accompanied by competently delivered speech, rich in intonation, supported by open gestures, a smile, good posture and an open look, unconscious non-verbal communication signals: your interlocutor is worthy of trust, which means the product is too.

Optical-kinetic system of signs

- uses gestures, facial expressions, pantomime. In general, this system can be represented as the perception of the properties of general motor skills of various parts of the body (hands-gestures, faces-facial expressions, postures-pantomimes). This general motor skill reflects a person’s emotional reactions, since the inclusion of an optical-kinetic system of signs in a communication situation gives communication certain nuances that are perceived ambiguously when using the same gestures in different national cultures. The significance of the optical-kinetic system of signs in communication is so great that a special field of research has emerged - kinesics, which studies these problems.

Nonverbal cues in face-to-face communication

Nonverbal communication in personal relationships is the basis of communication. Words alone, without emotional reinforcement, without touches and small, but unconsciously read signals, will not get you far in family life.

Spouses may communicate little, exhausted by everyday life, children and work, but if in a dream they move closer to each other, if in rare hours of being together in the house, even when each is busy with his own business, they find a second to touch each other, smile - such the family is strong.

On the contrary, couples who publicly hug, kiss and otherwise express positive emotions at the level of conscious non-verbal signals, but do not experience warm feelings for each other, betray themselves by the absence of small gestures - momentary touches, glances, light smiles, and others often unconsciously read this information and before the spouses themselves begin to guess that something is wrong in the family.

To maintain relationships, it is very important to remember about non-verbal means of communication, not to underestimate the importance of touch and expressing emotions not only through words.

How to learn to correctly recognize nonverbal signals

By learning to correctly interpret other people's nonverbal signals, you can expand your capabilities, raise nonverbal communication with your interlocutors to a new level, and also learn to recognize attempts to manipulate you.

In order to improve non-verbal communication skills, try to absorb when communicating, notice not only some noticeable, “large” gestures, but also note small ones, perceive the entire palette of human motor skills: facial expression, posture, posture, finger movements and gaze, shift intonation. This will allow over time to cut off superficial, conscious gestures of the interlocutor, identifying micro-expressions and noting signs of deception or unconscious lies. By noticing the broad gesture of your hands, you will also learn to notice the rapid licking of lips that betrays excitement, and then non-verbal communication with people will turn into an exciting ride in which attempts to manipulate you will be broken by your ability to recognize them and avoid them.

Pantomime

Pantomime is gait, posture, general motor skills of the whole body.

Gait is the way a person moves. Its components: Rhythm, step dynamics, amplitude of body transmission during movement, body weight. By gait you can judge a person’s well-being, character, age, and recognize emotions such as anger, suffering, pride, and happiness. It turned out that a “stiff” gait is typical for people who are angry, while a “light” gait is typical for happy ones.

Position is the position of the body. The human body is capable of taking about 1000 stable different positions. Posture shows how a person perceives his status in relation to the status of others present. People with higher status adopt a more relaxed posture. Otherwise, conflict situations may arise.

The most important semantic content of the pose is to position the body in relation to the interlocutor. This position indicates either a closed position (face with arms and legs crossed) or a communication position.

A closed position is perceived as a position of distrust, disagreement, opposition and criticism. Moreover, the interlocutor did not assimilate about a third of the information received from this pose. The easiest way to come out of this position is to offer something to hold or observe.

The open position is a position in which the arms and legs are uncrossed, the body is directed towards the communication partner, and the palms and feet are turned towards the communication partner. This is a pose of trust, harmony, goodwill and psychological comfort.

If a person is interested in communication, he will focus on the interlocutor and lean back, and if he is not very interested, then, on the contrary, he will focus on the interlocutor and lean back. A person who wants to make a statement will be upright, tense, with shoulders turned; a person who does not need to emphasize his status and position will be relaxed, calm, in a free, relaxed position.

The best way to communicate with your interlocutor is to copy his posture and gestures.

Nonverbal communication and errors

Non-verbal communication is an important component of human communication, and the ability to understand signals helps a lot in life, but we should not forget that excessive enthusiasm for the theory of micro-expressions and unconscious gestures can fail if we do not remember the possibility of mistakes. You should always remember the conditions in which the dialogue is being conducted: in a stuffy room with dry air, for example, licking your lips can symbolize not so much an attempt to deceive as to moisturize dry skin, and folded hands on your chest are sometimes intended not to close yourself off from your interlocutor, but to cover up a poorly placed stain on clothes.

Nonverbal communication is a huge layer of information that you need to be able to use in order to improve your communication skills and learn to avoid outside manipulation.